Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Kenneth Gainwell

Wednesday, September 24, 6:15 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers announced on Wednesday that they placed running back Najee Harris (Achilles) on Injured Reserve, according to Fernando Ramirez of the Sporting Tribune. Harris' season is over after he tore his Achilles in the Week 3 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. It's a disappointing end to his first year with the Bolts after signing with them in free agency in the offseason. The 27-year-old will end his streak of four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons to begin his career. In his three games this year, Harris carried the ball 15 times for 61 yards and no touchdowns, adding three receptions for 25 yards through the air. The Chargers will be forced to lean more on rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton as their lead back going forward, making him a must-start each week. Hassan Haskins will be elevated to the RB2 role, with Kimani Vidal the next man up at No. 2 in the backfield.

Tuesday, November 11, 4:11 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell has had a solid season while serving as the No. 2 back behind Jaylen Warren and could be in line for more opportunities moving forward. Head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Warren "simply cannot play every down" when asked if he should play more snaps. Gainwell has played mostly on pass downs with Warren healthy and actually outsnapped him 27 to 24 in Pittsburgh's Week 10 loss to the Chargers. The Steelers were trailing for most of the game, which led to the uptick in snaps for the 26-year-old, but he had only three receptions for four yards on four targets. Tomlin also pointed out that if the Steelers win more on third down, then Warren will get more touches. Pittsburgh was unable to sustain drives on Sunday night, going just two for 11 on third downs. Gainwell should continue to play a prominent role on late downs with the potential to fill in as the workhorse if Warren were to miss any time.